Blog Tour and Review: The Queen B* Strikes Back, by Crista McHugh

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Synopsis

Alexis Wyndham isn't quite sure what to think about her "friendship" with star quarterback, Brett Pederson. Sure, he has more brains than the entire football team combined. Not to mention that fact he's a great kisser. When he asks her to help him with his college admission essay, she isn't sure if he's doing it to spend more time with her or if he's just using her for her intelligence. But after her nemesis, Summer Hoyt, makes it clear she's not finished chasing after Brett, the war is on, and the head cheerleader will find out that hell hath no fury like a Queen B*.

Teaser

Chapter One

There's a special place in hell reserved for those who wake me up before noon on a Saturday.

And Brett Pederson was on that list.

I'd forgotten that he was on my preferred contact list, so his call came through the Do Not Disturb feature on my phone. Two weeks of a school project with him and now he was ruining my first day without Junior, the mechanical mutant baby that had been the bane of my existence.

The phone wouldn't stop ringing, so I was forced to pick it up. "Give me one reason not to make you the topic of my next blog post."

"Aw, Lexi, you wouldn't do that."

"Don't call me that, and yes, I would."

After all, I was Alexis Wyndham, the Queen Bitch of Eastline High School. My blog, The Eastline Spy, was notorious for taking members of the in-crowd down a peg, and as the hottest guy in school, Brett would be an easy target.

Too bad he'd somehow earned a soft spot in my heart. It was not something my cruel, hard image as the Queen B* would allow, and even though I'd convinced him we were better off as friends, I'd started second-guessing my decision the moment he walked away.

"I was calling to make sure you were ready to go to the senior class carwash. I'll swing by your house in ten minutes to pick you up."

Before I could protest, he hung up.

I glanced at my alarm clock.

8:32 a.m.

Crap!

A) Where does Brett get off thinking that I want to have anything to do with the idiots I refer to as "classmates"?

B) Why in hell would he think I'd want to go to this event, let alone with him?

But the butterflies in my stomach overruled my brain. As much as I loathed the idea of getting wet all in the name of raising money for a stupid class gift, the idea of Brett picking me up was enough to make me crawl out of bed.

Besides, if I arrived with him, it would piss off my nemesis, Summer Hoyt, to no end. She wanted him, but he wasn't interested. In fact, he seemed more interested in me. At least, if I believed yesterday's conversation behind the scoreboard.

Brett wanted to be more than friends, but I wasn't ready to go there.

At least, not yet.

I'd spent three years building a rep as the hardest bitch in school, and if the star quarterback started dating the Queen B*, then both of our positions in the high school social hierarchy would suffer.

But if we weren't at Eastline…

My thoughts wandered to a few days ago, when we'd hidden in a janitor's closet to keep Principal Lee from catching us in the girls' locker room together. Brett had taken the opportunity to kiss me, and before I knew what was happening, I'd lost my shirt. At least now I understood how my best friend, Morgan, could lose her head over so many guys and end up naked in bed with them. Teenage hormones were powerful things, especially when you factor in a great kisser like Brett.

I rummaged through my drawers until I found the perfect T-shirt. The mid-September day promised to be warm and sunny, but the hickey on my shoulder prevented me from wearing a tank top, so I paired it with a pair of shorts and threw my frizzy hair up in a ponytail.

The doorbell was ringing as I ran down the stairs. I opened the door and pulled Brett in before someone could see him. "You must have some kind of death wish."

"Just want to make sure you show that Eastline pride," he said with a charming grin. "After all, I am SGA president."

Brett was so perfect, I had to force myself to stay angry at him. He was more than a hot bod, although I'd seen enough of the muscles under the shirt to want to run my hands over them. He was more than a handsome face, although there were times I could lose myself while staring into his warm brown eyes. He was more than the star of the football team, although I admit I was beginning to have new appreciation for the sport since watching him play.

He was an annoyingly all-around good guy with a sharp mind and a personality that seemed to put everyone at ease, including me. He was the only person who could get past my prickly outer shell and make me swoon.

Of course, I'd never let him know that.

He handed me a rolled up T-shirt. "I brought you one of my Eastline shirts."

"Why?" I unfurled it and made a show of wrinkling my nose as though I were disgusted. It was a standard Eastline football shirt with a number on the back—one I'd seen dozens of players on the team wear around town. But then I caught a whiff of his scent, and my pulse cranked up a notch. Dear God, the shirt smelled like him. I resisted the urge to cuddle with it, especially since the source of the scent was standing right in front of me.

"So when you're sitting in the stands next to Richard, you'll at least show some school spirit." He winked before he closed the gap between us. "I thought you weren't going to come to the game last night.

"Richard needed a ride," I lied. In truth, I'd been the one to offer him a ride. I'd become a Brett addict over the last two weeks, and I couldn't decline a chance to watch him play. Thankfully, Richard—my other best friend next to Morgan—was a huge football fan.

"I could've sworn I saw you cheer when I threw that touchdown pass."

"I think you may have suffered a concussion when that lineman buried you into the turf." 

He chuckled, but continued to inch closer until his lips were a mere breath from mine. "Brushing up on your football slang?"

"Only because I have to listen to Richard." My mouth was dry. My voice was shaking, and I wasn't even sure I could form a coherent sentence, but I refused to give in to him. If he knew how attracted to him I really was, he might use my dark secret against me.

After all, that was what my former best friend, Summer, did to me in junior high.

A hint of a challenge danced in his eyes, making the golden flecks in them appear brighter than before.

My head swam, and my knees wobbled. Even though my mind was screaming Danger! I couldn't look away. If he kissed me again, would I fold

Review
4.25 out of 5 stars

The Queen B* Strikes Back was a great 2nd installment in Crista McHugh's The Queen B* Series.  I enjoyed it even more than book #1.  Maybe it's because we know Alexis better and we are rooting for her and Brett, even though she of course just wants to be "friends."  She's seriously fooling herself and we as readers know it but seeing Alexis trying to sort out her feelings is what makes this story so good!  Watching her navigate those tumultuous high school years while trying to deal with hormones gone wild are the perfect mix for a fun and addictive YA series.

Lexi may just want to be "friends," but Brett isn't ready to give up on her just yet.  He seems to be the only one who can push her boundaries, she knows it, he knows it and he never lets up.  I LOVE watching this girl fumble all over herself.  Her brain is telling her one thing, her heart is saying another and she is spiraling out of control when she cannot keep everything at an arm's length.

Summer, her former best friend, had a pivotal role in pushing Alexis into becoming the Queen B*, but it's time for Alexis to break the mold.  To be the person she keeps hidden away and not the person she created in order to survive the high school social hierarchy.  Is Brett the one who will be able to break down her walls so everyone can get to know the real Alexis?  Can he be trusted?  And if so does she even want to trust him?

Author Crista McHugh has created some very endearing characters who are easily likable, who you will not be able to help but fall in love with.  She sucks you into this story and it's like getting sucked into a good gossip chain.  Once you get a little taste you won't be able to help but keep coming back for more and more.  While this book ends on a high note, I am definitely not ready to end my time with the Queen B* and football star.  I cannot wait to see where she takes us next!  This series has me hooked and I'm highly recommending you take the bait as well!

About Author Crista McHugh

Crista McHugh is an award-winning author of fantasy and romance who writes heroines who are smart, sexy and anything but ordinary. She currently lives in the Audi-filled suburbs of Seattle with her husband and two children, maintaining her alter ego of mild-mannered physician by day while she continues to pursue writing on nights and weekends.
She is an active member of the Romance Writers of America (including the Greater Seattle Chapter and the Seattle Eastside Chapters), and Romance Divas.
Just for laughs, here are some of the jobs she's had in the past to pay the bills: barista, bartender, sommelier, stagehand, actress, morgue attendant, and autopsy assistant.
And she's also a recovering LARPer. (She blames it on her crazy college days)

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